---
title: "Terminal Commands Reference"
author: "JonC"
description: "A comprehensive reference of all terminal commands used across your DevOps labs."
published: "2026-02-24"
---

## Git Commands

| Command | Explanation |
|---|---|
| `git init` | *Initializes a new Git repository in the current directory, creating a hidden `.git` folder to track changes.* |
| `git add .` | *Stages all new and modified files in the current directory for the next commit.* |
| `git add README.md` | *Stages a specific file (README.md) for the next commit.* |
| `git commit -m "message"` | *Saves a snapshot of all staged changes with a descriptive message.* |
| `git status` | *Shows the current branch, staged changes, unstaged changes, and untracked files.* |
| `git push origin main` | *Uploads commits from your local main branch to the remote repository on GitHub.* |
| `git push origin feature-branch` | *Uploads a specific branch to the remote repository.* |
| `git push` | *Uploads commits to the remote repository for the currently tracked branch.* |
| `git pull origin main` | *Downloads and merges changes from the remote main branch into your current local branch.* |
| `git pull` | *Downloads and merges changes from the remote for the currently tracked branch.* |
| `git clone https://github.com/username/repo.git` | *Downloads a full copy of a remote repository to your local machine, including all history.* |
| `git clone git@github.com:username/repo.git` | *Clones a repository using SSH authentication instead of HTTPS.* |
| `git remote add origin https://github.com/username/repo.git` | *Links your local repository to a remote GitHub repository so you can push and pull.* |
| `git branch feature-branch` | *Creates a new branch called feature-branch without switching to it.* |
| `git checkout feature-branch` | *Switches to an existing branch named feature-branch.* |
| `git checkout master` | *Switches back to the master (or main) branch.* |
| `git switch feature-branch` | *Modern alternative to `git checkout` for switching branches.* |
| `git merge feature-branch` | *Merges the specified branch into the currently active branch.* |
| `git log` | *Displays the commit history for the current branch.* |
| `ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096 -C your_email@example.com` | *Generates a new RSA SSH key pair (public and private) used for authenticating with GitHub or other servers.* |
| `eval "$(ssh-agent -s)"` | *Starts the SSH authentication agent in the background so it can manage your keys.* |
| `ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_rsa` | *Adds your private SSH key to the running SSH agent so it can be used for authentication.* |
| `cat ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub` | *Prints the contents of your public SSH key to the terminal — copy this to add to GitHub.* |
| `ssh -T git@github.com` | *Tests whether your SSH key is correctly authenticated with GitHub.* |
| `git config --global user.name "Your Name"` | *Sets your name globally in Git, which appears on all commits you make.* |
| `git config --global user.email "you@email.com"` | *Sets your email globally in Git, which must match your GitHub account for contributions to be attributed correctly.* |

---

## Docker Commands

| Command | Explanation |
|---|---|
| `docker pull mysql:latest` | *Downloads the latest MySQL image from DockerHub to your local machine without running it.* |
| `docker pull mysql:8.0` | *Downloads a specific version (8.0) of the MySQL image from DockerHub.* |
| `docker run --name mysql-server -e MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD=student99 -d mysql:latest` | *Creates and starts a MySQL container named mysql-server, running in the background (-d) with the root password set via an environment variable (-e).* |
| `docker run --name mysql-server -e MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD=student99 -v mysql-data:/var/lib/mysql -d mysql:latest` | *Same as above, but also maps the mysql-data volume to persist database files across container restarts or deletions.* |
| `docker run -d -p 8080:80 --name nginx-server -v nginx-data:/usr/share/nginx/html nginx` | *Runs an nginx container in the background, maps host port 8080 to container port 80, names it nginx-server, and mounts a volume for the web files.* |
| `docker ps` | *Lists all currently running containers, showing their IDs, images, status, and port mappings.* |
| `docker ps -a` | *Lists all containers, including those that are stopped.* |
| `docker stop mysql-server` | *Gracefully stops a running container named mysql-server.* |
| `docker rm mysql-server` | *Removes a stopped container named mysql-server. The container must be stopped first.* |
| `docker exec -it mysql-server mysql -uroot -p` | *Opens an interactive MySQL session inside the running mysql-server container, logging in as root and prompting for a password.* |
| `docker exec -it nginx-server bash` | *Opens an interactive bash shell inside the running nginx-server container.* |
| `docker exec -it nginx-server sh` | *Opens an interactive sh shell — used for containers that do not include bash (common in lightweight images).* |
| `docker volume create mysql-data` | *Creates a named Docker volume called mysql-data for persisting data outside of containers.* |
| `docker volume rm nginx-data` | *Deletes the named volume nginx-data. The volume must not be in use by any container.* |
| `docker container inspect mysql-server` | *Displays detailed configuration and networking information for the mysql-server container, including its IP address.* |
| `docker compose up -d` | *Reads the docker-compose.yml file in the current directory and starts all defined services in the background.* |
| `docker compose down` | *Stops and removes all containers, networks, and (by default) volumes defined in the docker-compose.yml file.* |

---

## Docker Compose File Structure

The following is a reference template. Replace values in `< >` brackets with your own.

```yaml
services:
  <service-name>:
    image: <image-name:version>
    container_name: <container-name>
    ports:
      - "<host-port>:<container-port>"
    volumes:
      - <volume-or-path>:<container-path>
    environment:
      - VARIABLE=value
    networks:
      - <network-name>
    restart: unless-stopped
    depends_on:
      - <other-service-name>

networks:
  <network-name>:
    driver: bridge

volumes:
  <volume-name>:
    driver: local
```

---

## SQL Commands (Inside MySQL Container)

| Command | Explanation |
|---|---|
| `show databases;` | *Lists all databases on the connected MySQL server.* |
| `use mysql;` | *Switches the active database to the one named mysql.* |
| `show tables;` | *Lists all tables in the currently selected database.* |
| `select * from tables_priv;` | *Returns all rows from the tables_priv table in the current database.* |
| `create database wordpress;` | *Creates a new database named wordpress.* |
| `exit;` | *Closes the MySQL connection and returns to the container shell.* |

---

## Linux File System & Navigation

| Command | Explanation |
|---|---|
| `pwd` | *Prints the full path of the current working directory.* |
| `ls` | *Lists files and directories in the current directory.* |
| `ls -la` | *Lists all files (including hidden) with detailed info: permissions, owner, size, and modification date.* |
| `cd /etc` | *Changes the current directory to /etc (absolute path).* |
| `cd ~` | *Changes to the current user's home directory regardless of where you are in the filesystem.* |
| `cd ..` | *Moves up one level to the parent directory.* |
| `cd lab03` | *Changes to a subdirectory called lab03 within the current directory (relative path).* |
| `mkdir devops_practice` | *Creates a new directory named devops_practice in the current location.* |
| `mkdir -p newfolder/subfolder` | *Creates both the parent and child directories at once, without error if they already exist.* |
| `touch filename.txt` | *Creates a new empty file named filename.txt without opening it.* |
| `cp file1 file2` | *Copies the contents of file1 into a new file named file2.* |
| `cp folderA/file* folderB/` | *Copies all files starting with "file" from folderA into folderB using a wildcard.* |
| `cp -r A/SubFolder* C` | *Recursively copies all folders matching the pattern from A into C.* |
| `mv file2 fileB` | *Renames file2 to fileB (move within the same directory acts as a rename).* |
| `rm file1` | *Permanently deletes file1 with no confirmation prompt.* |
| `rm -d folderA` | *Removes an empty directory named folderA.* |
| `rm -rf folderB` | *Forcefully and recursively deletes folderB and all its contents without any prompts. Use with caution.* |
| `cat /etc/passwd` | *Prints the contents of /etc/passwd to the terminal — useful for viewing user account info.* |
| `tree` | *Displays the directory structure in a visual tree format. Must be installed first.* |
| `vi newfile.txt` | *Opens newfile.txt in the vi text editor. Press `i` to insert, `ESC` to exit insert mode, `:wq` to save and quit.* |
| `vim index.html` | *Opens index.html in the improved vi editor (vim). Same key commands as vi.* |

---

## Linux User & Permission Management

| Command | Explanation |
|---|---|
| `sudo useradd devops_user -c "DevOps User"` | *Creates a new system user named devops_user with the full name "DevOps User" stored in the account info.* |
| `sudo passwd devops_user` | *Prompts you to set or change the password for devops_user.* |
| `sudo groupadd devops` | *Creates a new group named devops.* |
| `sudo usermod devops_user -aG devops` | *Appends (-a) devops_user to the devops group (-G) without removing them from other groups.* |
| `sudo chmod 740 A` | *Sets folder A permissions: owner has read/write/execute (7), group has read only (4), others have no access (0).* |
| `sudo chmod u+rx devops_practice` | *Adds read and execute permissions for the file owner without changing group or other permissions.* |
| `sudo chmod g=rx foldername` | *Sets the group permissions to read and execute only, leaving user and other permissions unchanged.* |
| `sudo chown devops_user devops_practice` | *Changes the owner of the devops_practice directory to devops_user.* |
| `sudo chgrp devops devops_practice` | *Changes the group ownership of devops_practice to the devops group.* |
| `ls -la` | *Shows permissions, ownership, size, and modification date for all files including hidden ones.* |

**Permission Reference Chart:**

| Octal | Binary | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | rwx | Read, Write, Execute |
| 6 | rw- | Read, Write |
| 5 | r-x | Read, Execute |
| 4 | r-- | Read only |
| 0 | --- | No permissions |

*Example: `chmod 754` = owner rwx (7), group r-x (5), others r-- (4)*

---

## Linux Networking

| Command | Explanation |
|---|---|
| `ip addr` | *Displays all network interfaces and their assigned IP addresses.* |
| `ifconfig` | *Older command for displaying network interface configuration. May need to be installed.* |
| `ping google.com` | *Sends ICMP packets to google.com to test network connectivity. Press CTRL+C to stop.* |
| `ping 172.17.0.2` | *Pings a specific IP address — useful for testing container-to-container connectivity.* |
| `wget https://example.com/file.tar.gz` | *Downloads a file from the given URL directly to the current directory.* |
| `curl https://example.com/file` | *Transfers data from a URL. More flexible than wget — can send and receive data.* |
| `netstat` | *Displays active network connections, routing tables, and interface statistics.* |
| `ss` | *Modern replacement for netstat — shows socket statistics and active connections.* |

---

## Linux Package Management (Red Hat / RHEL / Amazon Linux)

| Command | Explanation |
|---|---|
| `sudo dnf update` | *Updates the local package index with the latest available package versions.* |
| `sudo dnf upgrade` | *Installs all available upgrades to currently installed packages.* |
| `sudo dnf -y update` | *Updates the package index and automatically answers yes (-y) to all prompts.* |
| `sudo dnf install nginx` | *Installs the nginx web server package.* |
| `sudo dnf -y install tree` | *Installs the tree utility, automatically confirming the install.* |
| `sudo dnf install -y stress` | *Installs the stress tool for generating CPU/memory load.* |
| `sudo yum install httpd` | *Installs the Apache HTTP server using yum (used on older Amazon Linux versions).* |
| `sudo yum install -y epel-release` | *Installs the EPEL repository, expanding the available package list.* |
| `sudo amazon-linux-extras enable epel` | *Enables the EPEL extra repository on Amazon Linux instances.* |
| `apt update` | *Updates the package index on Debian/Ubuntu-based systems.* |
| `apt install -y vim` | *Installs vim on Debian/Ubuntu-based systems, auto-confirming the install.* |

---

## Linux Service Management (systemctl)

| Command | Explanation |
|---|---|
| `sudo systemctl enable nginx` | *Configures nginx to start automatically on system boot.* |
| `sudo systemctl start nginx` | *Starts the nginx service immediately.* |
| `sudo systemctl status nginx` | *Displays the current running status of the nginx service, including recent log output.* |
| `sudo systemctl start httpd` | *Starts the Apache HTTP server (httpd) service.* |
| `sudo service httpd start` | *Older-style command to start the httpd service — equivalent to systemctl start on supported systems.* |

---

## Linux Monitoring & System Info

| Command | Explanation |
|---|---|
| `uname -a` | *Prints detailed system information: kernel name, version, hostname, architecture, and OS.* |
| `df -h` | *Shows disk space usage for all mounted filesystems in human-readable format (KB, MB, GB).* |
| `ps` | *Lists processes running in the current shell session.* |
| `top` | *Displays a real-time, continuously updating list of running processes and resource usage.* |
| `sudo stress --cpu 1 --timeout 120` | *Runs a CPU stress test using 1 core for 120 seconds — used to generate load and test CloudWatch alarms.* |
| `sudo poweroff` | *Shuts down the Linux system immediately.* |

---

## SSH Commands

| Command | Explanation |
|---|---|
| `ssh -l ec2-user -i ~/.ssh/Western-Student ec2-XX-XX.compute-1.amazonaws.com` | *Connects via SSH to an AWS EC2 instance using a specific username (-l) and private key file (-i).* |
| `ssh -o StrictHostKeyChecking=no -i private_key.pem ec2-user@hostname` | *Connects via SSH while skipping the host key verification prompt — used in automated scripts.* |

---

## AWS CLI / Workflow Commands

| Command | Explanation |
|---|---|
| `git push` | *In a CI/CD context, pushing code to the main branch triggers the GitHub Actions workflow automatically.* |
| `aws s3 sync . s3://bucket-name --exclude ".git/*"` | *Syncs local files to an S3 bucket, excluding the .git directory — used in deployment pipelines.* |
| `tar -xzvf wordpress-6.7.1.tar.gz` | *Extracts a compressed .tar.gz archive, showing each file as it is extracted (-v for verbose).* |
| `npm test` | *Runs the test script defined in package.json — in a CI/CD pipeline this must pass before deployment.* |
| `chmod 600 private_key.pem` | *Sets the private key file to owner-read-only permissions, required by SSH before using the key.* |

---

## Node.js / npm Commands

| Command | Explanation |
|---|---|
| `npm test` | *Executes the test script defined in the scripts section of package.json.* |
| `node test.js` | *Runs the test.js file directly using Node.js.* |